Celebrating 20 Years of the UK’s Biggest Independent Rock Festival
It’s official! Slam Dunk Festival is turning 20, and 2026 is shaping up to be the biggest year in its history.
With the second and final wave of artists now announced, this year’s line-up is complete - and it’s stacked. From pop-punk royalty to hardcore heavyweights, Slam Dunk 2026 promises a genre-spanning celebration of everything we live and breathe at Punk Haus.
The Final Wave Is Here
Joining an already massive bill featuring Good Charlotte and Sublime, the latest announcement adds over 20 huge names to the party - including Kentucky hardcore juggernauts Knocked Loose.
Newly Announced Artists Include:
Knocked Loose
A Loss For Words
Angel Du$t
Bayside
Beauty School
Boston Manor
Call Me Amour
Comeback Kid
Currents
Dead Pony
Deaf Havana
Dying Wish
Guilt Trip
Hands Like Houses
Heriot
Madina Lake
Malevolence
Origami Angel
Pest Control
Punk Rock Factory
Saosin
SiM
State Champs
Static Dress
Trash Boat
Vukovi
Youth Fountain
This completes what is easily one of the most diverse and explosive line-ups in Slam Dunk history.
20 Years. Two New Heavy Stages. Zero Clashes.
To mark two decades in the game, Slam Dunk is going heavier than ever before.
For the 20th anniversary only, the festival introduces:
Two brand new side-by-side main stages dedicated entirely to metalcore, hardcore and post-hardcore - with zero set clashes.
That means non-stop chaos, no compromises, and no impossible decisions between your favourite heavy bands.
Expect absolute carnage from artists including previously announced names like Bury Tomorrow, Cancer Bats, alongside stage headliners Knocked Loose and Malevolence.
If you like your riffs filthy and your pits relentless, 2026 is your year.
Bank Holiday Mayhem
Bank Holiday Weekend 2026:
📍 Hatfield Park (South) – Saturday 23rd May 2026
📍 Temple Newsam, Leeds (North) – Sunday 24th May 2026
Slam Dunk returns to its now-legendary twin-site format, transforming Hatfield Park and Temple Newsam into alt-music playgrounds once again.
Tickets are on sale now at:
👉 www.slamdunkfestival.com
And they are moving fast.
A Festival That Built the Scene
What started in 2001 as a Leeds club night at The Cockpit became a one-day festival in 2006, headlined by Fall Out Boy. Since then, Slam Dunk has grown into a multi-award-winning, multi-stage, greenfield monster.
Over the years it’s welcomed icons such as:
- Paramore
- Panic! At The Disco
- Enter Shikari
- Jimmy Eat World
- Sum 41
- NOFX
From emo to metalcore, ska to hardcore, Slam Dunk has consistently championed both global icons and the next wave of underground talent.
Now, in 2026, it celebrates 20 years of shaping the UK alternative scene - and it’s throwing its biggest party yet.
See You in the Pit
Two decades deep.
Two stages of uninterrupted heaviness.
One of the most important alt festivals in the UK.
We’ll be on the ground all weekend, deep in the chaos and front row for the madness, bringing you everything you actually want to know from THIS IS MY HAUS. Expect real-time updates, behind-the-scenes moments, artist chats, crowd energy, honest highlights (and lowlights), and the answers to the questions you’ll be asking before you even realise you’re asking them. And knowing us… we might have a few surprises up our sleeve too.
Stay locked in.
Slam Dunk 2026 isn’t just another festival - it’s a landmark moment for the scene.
We’ll see you in the pit.
(header image photo credit by Eddy Maynard @eddymaynard)
